Albertson ninth for Martin Honda at Lombardia Grand Prix

The Grand Prix of Lombardia at Mantova represented the second round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship and the second event within a week for the riders and teams of the MX1 and MX2 classes. A bumpy and technical sandy track at the Italian venue meant a physical test for the fastest off-road motorcycle racers in the world and Antonio Cairoli triumphed in the premier MX1 category while Marvin Musquin was victorious in MX2. Honda was led by factory rider Jimmy Albertson, who took the Martin Honda CRF 450R to ninth overall in just his second MX1GP appearance.

Jimmy Albertson

Jimmy Albertson

Windy and changeable conditions on Sunday were a contrast to the bright sunshine of Saturday but with support classes in the form of the 125cc European championship and the Veteran’s World Cup the loose terrain at Mantova was worn and rutted for the stars of the main show.

Albertson used a Dunlop sand profile on his rear wheel to make an excellent start in the first moto and was running in the top five for half of the 35 minute and 2 lap distance. He upped his speed in the final phase to secure sixth and his best finish so far. In the second race the same rubber did not produce a similar launch from the gate and the American had to battle from mid-pack to take 13th.

CAS Honda’s Evgeny Bobryshev was 10th overall. The Russian recovered from a crash in Moto1 to place 14th and then started brightly in Moto2 to persist in the battle for a mid top ten slot. Finally he crossed the line ninth (in spite of an off-track excursion in the last four laps that saw his gear lever bent under the crankcase and become unusable) for his highest MX1 ranking to-date in just his second Grand Prix for the British squad. Team-mate Gareth Swanepoel could not get to grips with the track and an unfortunate Qualification Heat left him 24th for Sunday. The South African was 15th and 14th for 15th overall at the end of the day.

LS Motors Honda’s Davide Guarneri was 16th, just behind Swanepoel and although he began the weekend on the right foot with a pace that saw him within the top ten, he lacked the physical edge to push hard towards the end of the motos. Team-mate Tanel Leok felt that he had not totally recovered from the concussion he had sustained last week in Bulgaria and several mistakes in the races meant the unhappy Estonian was no better than 12th at this Grand Prix.

Martin Honda’s MX2 representative Alessandro Battig was 26th overall and notched his first ever world championship point with 20th place in Moto1. The teenager negotiated only his second Grand Prix but was weakened after suffering tonsillitis during the week.

Round three of the FIM World Championship will take place on April 25th at Valkenswaard for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands.

Tanel Leok

Evgeny Bobryshev

Jimmy Albertson, Martin Honda:
“It was a really rough track today. I did not think it could get much worse than it did yesterday but when that second moto came around, man, it was beat, really gnarly. I ran a scoop tyre on the back in the first moto and it worked well for the start; I rocked it out of the gate and almost had the holeshot. I think I got a bit nervous out there and when I dropped back to seventh my lap-times were terrible but with four laps to go I could raise my speed and was four seconds better each lap. I got into fifth and almost had Pourcel and De Dycker at the end. It was a really good race and I was happy. I kept the tyre profile for the second start and that perhaps was a mistake because it was much drier and I just wheel-span. I got away in about 20th and worked my way up to 13th. I had a whole group of guys in front of me but I couldn’t get there. Overall it was a good weekend and a big step up from last week; that’s what I was looking for. I want to keep on improving from here.”

Evgeny Bobryshev, CAS Honda:
“I feel great. I did not get tired out there and overall both motos went pretty well. I crashed together with Pourcel in the first race so I had to work my way to the front. I felt that things were going OK and afterwards I was ready for the next moto. My next start was much better and while it was the first time I have been with the guys at the front I was able to watch and see how they were riding the track. Bulgaria was a bit easier than this place but in Sevlievo I felt dead after twenty minutes. Here I was looking at the lines and being smarter with my riding.”

Gareth Swanepoel, CAS Honda:
“It was a tough weekend and a tough track. It was demanding out there this weekend! Starting from 24th place was very hard and I struggled to find my rhythm the whole race. I ended up a dismal 16th or something like that. In the second moto I got away better but was block-passed really hard by Clement Desalle and almost went down. I lost a few positions although I managed to get going after that and found a decent pace. It was only 14th but I was happier with my riding. We are not where we want to be but we will keep working.”

Tanel Leok, LS Motors Honda:
“It was a hard track but I liked it. My starts were actually not that bad but I went too wide on the first corner and lost positions. I got back to ninth but that was nothing special. I crashed at the beginning of the next moto and then went down on the last lap. To be honest I don’t think I am fully recovered from the accident in Bulgaria. We have two weeks now before Valkenswaard so we will see how it goes there.”

Davide Guarneri, LS Motors Honda:
“I have never liked this track but in the end it was not too bad. My speed was good. I was seventh in pre-qualifying and 10th in the Heat. I started badly but went from 19th to 13th in the first moto. In the second I was fighting with Barragan and Ramon but physically I was struggling. I am a bit surprised as to why I am losing power towards the end of the race and we will have to work on this; I should not be ten seconds slower.”

Roger Harvey, Off-road Manager, Honda Motor Europe:
“Much better from Jimmy and he can take some confidence from this. That start in the first moto really helped and it was a shame he got boxed-in at the beginning of the next one. I was impressed with Bobryshev in the last race, especially as he rode the last four laps in one gear; full credit to Honda’s components there! Swanie struggled all day and the LS guys had their own woes.”